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Chantelle Hazelden, from Mama Mummy Mum, shows us some crafty ideas for entertaining children during the holidays.

During the school holidays I sometimes struggle to think of things to keep the children occupied that don't cost an arm and a leg. I found one of the best things to keep my kids entertained is to do some sort of art & crafts with them, it doesn't have to be expensive as a lot of things you will normally have around the house anyway. 

1:  Musical Shakers

2: Pasta Jewellery

3: Potato Printing

4: Magic Mud

5: Paper Fans

You can read Chantelle's blog here for more tips and follow her on twitter and Facebook.

What is Sensory Play?

Sensory Play is a fairy new and exciting part of child development, allowing children to learn through experience.

The theory is that, whilst your child may be learning to talk, and their first words could happen at any time, all their senses have been developing constantly since birth.

These senses can be stimulated, and bonds built between child and parent, without the need for verbal communication. 

Your child may have developed a question, and have no way of communicating it verbally. Sensory play encourages your child to scratch, sniff, lick, grab, stare, rub etc. Investigating, using their senses, and answering the question themselves. 

Sensory play is also used to develop the neurological pathways associated with each sense. Motor skills also get a boost, as children manipulate whatever material or tools they have been given. Creative, Dramatic skills come in to play, as children use their imagination to find new ways to use these materials and tools.

Ideas for Sensory Play

The best way to control Sensory Play is to make sure all activity happens within a designated space. Use a plastic tray or box, and even introduce a lid to signal when playtime has started and finished.

Sticky - Take some left-over white bread and add your child's choice of food colouring. Green for example. Then pour on four dollops of PVA glue. This makes a sticky (and cheap) alternative to playdough, that will stimulate the smells and touch senses.

Shaving Foam - Mix straight from the can with food colouring to make bright and vibrant bath-paints. Just make it clear that you are in charge of the can and that no foam goes in their mouths.

Mud - Again, using a tray, set up a mud bath kitchen in the garden. This allows for sensory play with Mud with a quarter of the mess!

Jelly - Make a batch of jelly. Whatever flavour, it doesn't matter as this is for playing with and not eating. If it can fill your play tray even better. Encourage your child to mix into the slimy jelly some alphabet magnets from the fridge. This will combine the idea of touch, colours and shapes. 

Sand box - A classic. Introduce any of your child's toys you don't mind getting a little mucky to introduce the concept of sand with something more familiar.

Touchy Feely Runway - Lay down a number of different, flat surfaces on the floor and secure if needed. These could include a cork board, some bubble wrap, cling film or a place mat from the table. Allow your child to walk, roll or craw along the runway and experience each texture.

Do you have your own sensory play ideas? Let us know in the comments, via twitter or facebook.

1. Select an artificial tree 
Run your hands across the branches to make sure large clumps of needles do not fall off. These are choking hazards for toddlers.

2. Display your tree in a base that is either secured to the wall or is wide, heavy and stable.

3. Select toddler-friendly ornaments for the bottom of the tree while keeping breakable ornaments toward the top. 
Ornaments at the bottom of the tree should not be glass or ceramic and should be large enough that they can't be swallowed. Make sure any painted ornaments are hung high on the tree, since the paint can be toxic if your toddler puts them in her mouth.

4. Apply minimal decorations. 
The more ornamentation on your tree, the more tempting it will be for your toddler. Avoid overusing strands of lights, garland, tinsel, icicles and ribbon. 
Tinsel is a choking hazard, so if you choose to use it only apply it to the part of the tree your toddler cannot reach.

5. Hang ornaments with short strands of ribbon instead of hooks to prevent your toddler from poking himself or swallowing a sharp hook.

6. If you have trouble finding ornaments that are safe to be placed toward the bottom of the tree, craft homemade ornaments with your toddler's help and allow her to help trim the tree.

7. Look for low-voltage LED lights, as these are less likely to become hot to the touch. Also try to find lights that are labeled "lead free." If you cannot find lead-free lights, string them high enough that your toddler cannot touch them or put them in her mouth.

8. Instruct your toddler not to touch the tree. 
If your toddler does not understand, or chooses not to obey your request, you may decide to place a baby gate around your tree or position furniture in a way that blocks access.

9. Avoid displaying authentic mistletoe, holly or poinsettias on the tree or in other areas of the home. These can cause poisoning or irritation if ingested by a toddler.

If you have your own toddler proofing tips, let us know in the comments or via twitter or facebook!

Picture the scene... beautifully immaculate house (ok, that may be a slight exaggeration!); late Edwardian property with period features, stripped floorboards.  In comes Shyloh.  And she’s hungry. 

For some reason I thought I’d go down the baby led weaning route.  To those who have no idea what that means, it roughly translates to, ‘let your baby fling food all over the walls, floor, cat, etc’.  Ok, it causes far more mess than fat kids in a pie eating contest, but in all honesty I think it’s been worth it.

I knew that Shyloh was ready to start eating solids when she stole a strawberry off my plate and shoved it in her mouth.  She’s lucky I didn’t try to take it back, as I’m usually very precious over my strawberries, but it was just too entertaining watching her suck the hell out of the fruit, drooling red slobber down her front.

From that point on, I became the puree queen – I was pretty anal about it, and made sure she started off on bland savoury foods, working her way up to flavoursome fruits.  Me and Thom had previously spent £400 on a blender (we were sucked in at a food festival, but the man said it’s the best blender in the world so it must be true!), so I was making sure I got my money’s worth. 

I started out pureeing things, as in all honestly, I was too scared to do baby led weaning – even though I had read up on it, I was terrified she’d choke on something.  But I didn’t really need to be concerned.  A baby’s gag reflex, unlike ours, is only halfway down their tongue, so if she attempted something that was too big for her, it soon came flying back in my general direction. 

Shyloh has been wonderful with her food, and continues to amaze me.  From about seven months old, she has been able to feed herself at meal times, she eats everything we eat, from coconut and chilli thai curry, to salmon and cous cous.  You can tell she really enjoys her food – I generally gauge this from how far the food has spread around her face. 

I must say though, not everyone is a fan of my method of teaching Shyloh enjoyment in eating.  My mum thinks, and I quote, that I’m, ‘bringing her up like a savage’.  I do try explaining the benefits but I’ve given up now.  I now just find secret fulfilment when Shy flings her food across mum’s freshly hovered floor. 

For anyone looking to try baby led weaning, I’d say go for it. I can give Shyloh a whole pear and she’ll work her way through it, leaving the core, or she’ll eat melon off the rind.  She’s learning to enjoy different flavours, textures and shapes at her own pace, whilst being part of family meals and eating healthily.  She’s awesome and I’m so proud of her, even if she does wreck my dining room three times a day!